Liberal convention could get ugly with Trudeau backing major revamp to party constitution
Lee Berthiaume,
Ottawa Citizen | May 25, 2016 | Last Updated: May 26 8:59 AM ET
OTTAWA — Battle lines are being drawn for what could become a bloody fight when federal Liberals gather in Winnipeg later this week to debate the future of their party. At issue are major changes the party’s leadership, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is proposing to the Liberal constitution.
The changes won’t mean much to average Canadians, unless they want to join the Liberals without paying money. But if the concerns expressed by opponents are true, they do raise questions about how Trudeau and his team plan to run the country over the next four years.
“He’s the leader who promised he would do nothing without social contract,” said Tom Addison, president of the Kingston and the Islands Liberal riding association, who is spearheading efforts to oppose the changes.
“You can’t claim to have a social contract when you have the number of (riding association) presidents I’ve talked to, the number of long-time Liberals opposed to this.”
Trudeau announced the proposed changes in Halifax in April. His focus then was on how the Liberals were doing away with the traditional idea of membership by letting anyone sign up as a “registered Liberal” without paying a fee.
If they’re willing to do that to their own members, then I don’t think that bodes well for governing.
That proposal expands a change adopted by Liberals in 2012, when they agreed to let anyone sign up for free as a Liberal supporter to vote in leadership contests. The new constitution would let registered Liberals do everything members can do now, which includes debating policy and voting for local candidates.
“We need to be courageous and we need to show, once again, that the Liberal party is not afraid to challenge the status quo, even if it means breaking with our own traditions,” Trudeau said. “Canadians are counting on us to keep building, modernizing and opening up our movement. We can’t let them down.”
But opening up the membership is only one part of the proposed changes. In fact, Trudeau and his team are undertaking a wholesale reorganization of the party that would take many powers away from local riding associations, and give it to the leadership team.
Liberal party spokesman Braeden Caley said the changes are necessary to transform what has traditionally been a splintered organization into a modern, agile political movement for the 21st century. He also said the proposals have been discussed for years, while recent surveys have shown members want change.
“That is a major focus of this: modernizing the party’s operations and simplifying the processes by which a Canadian who shares Liberal values can get involved in a political movement that shares Liberal values,” Caley said.
Charles Bird, president of the Toronto riding association of Eglinton-Lawrence, who supports the proposed changes, also said the proposals have been widely discussed for a while, and that they will make the party more effective during campaigns.
“Senior campaign officials experienced a lot of needless bottlenecks (in the last election),” he said. “It actually got in the way of effective campaign planning. And that is one of the things we have to address as soon as possible.”
Opponents, however, say the proposals concentrate all power at the top without any checks and balances. “There’s a power grab going on within the Liberal Party of Canada,” said one senior Liberal. “Power is being concentrated into a small group around the leader, as opposed to members.”
They have also dismissed the surveys as a paper exercise, and say the proposals were sprung on the members without enough time to debate them.
“The biggest issue is there truly has been a lack of consultation, despite what they say,” Addison said. “Certainly within our riding, and in many, many ridings that I’ve talked to, presidents do not feel they were consulted.”
Such internal bickering wouldn’t normally concern non-Liberals. But opponents say it all runs contrary to the type of open, transparent, consensus-type decision-making that Trudeau promised during the 2013 Liberal leadership race, and which he promised to bring to government during last year’s federal election.
The proposed changes also come as the Liberal government is moving to dismantle the first-past-the-post electoral system, and replace it with something else. Opposition parties have alleged the Liberals plan to introduce a system that would favour them.
We need to be courageous and we need to show, once again, that the Liberal party is not afraid to challenge the status quo.
“I think it’s revealing to the public, in a meaningful way, if they are ramming through a constitution that centralizes power and money without consultation, and then using heavy-handed tactics to get it supported,” said Jennifer Pollock, a Liberal delegate from Calgary who opposes the changes.
“If they’re willing to do that to their own members, then I don’t think that bodes well for governing.”
The proposed constitutional amendments will be voted on Saturday, with the results announced at the end of the Winnipeg convention. The party will need two-thirds of votes to be in favour for the changes to be adopted. The vote will be held in public, though opponents have called for it to be done in secret.
Both sides are mustering their forces to fight tooth and nail. The party has been calling delegates to gauge support, and posted endorsements from Trudeau and other people online. Opponents have also made websites, and say they plan to have a “war room” at the convention to organize opposition to the proposals.
The degree of opposition is difficult to gauge. Addison says he has seen a growing sense of discomfort in recent days with what the leadership is trying to do. But Bird suggested opposition was “thin.”
“It’s coming from a group of Liberals who may be well-intentioned,” Bird said, “but are missing the fundamental importance of these changes in terms of how the party operates and if it’s going to operate successfully as we move forward.”
